Inter-Urban Water Supply

The Inter-Urban Water Supply program connects the County’s water supply systems to deliver high-quality water services for long-term growth.

Overview

Norfolk County provides municipal drinking water to the following communities:

Port Dover
Simcoe
Waterford
Delhi and Courtland
Port Rowan and St. Williams

These communities have independent water supply systems, except for Courtland and St. Williams, which are supplied via transmission mains from Delhi and Port Rowan. Simcoe, Delhi, and Waterford have groundwater supply sources, whereas Port Dover and Port Rowan have Lake Erie surface water intakes.

Current water systems in Norfolk County

The Inter-Urban Water Supply (IUWS) Program will provide a centralized system to connect the County’s existing individual water supply systems to deliver higher-quality drinking water services for long-term growth.

The IUWS program will include approximately 130 km of transmission water mains to interconnect the existing distribution systems to the Nanticoke Water Treatment Plant, ensuring backup capacity for each urban area. The program has a phased implementation approach (subject to change based on affordability).

The IUWS program includes upgrades to the Nanticoke water treatment plant to deliver 40,000 cubic metres daily to Norfolk County users. It will also provide transmission, storage and pumping capacity to ensure fire protection and standard pressure.

Future Inter-Urban Water Supply (IUWS)

Objectives

Deliver high-quality water services
Ensure fire protection in all urban centres
Provide water supply for long-term growth
Build reliable and cost-effective infrastructure

Benefits

Alignment with Growth Demand
Emergency Back-Up Capacity
Peak Demand Flexibility
Operational Efficiency
Water Conservation
Increased Connectivity

Budget

The program’s overall budget is $450 million (2023 dollars), which will be updated annually. The budget reflects a full county-wide scope, priorities, status, and financial and economic impacts.

“Providing safe, reliable drinking water to our communities is paramount to our public health and sustainable growth. By implementing the Inter-Urban Water Supply System, Council is proud to deliver on this standard of care mandate and build a resilient water supply system for many generations to come.”

– Mayor Amy Martin

Ontario’s Drinking Water Protection Framework

The Inter-Urban Water Supply System was identified in the Integrated Servicing Master Plan as the best available water supply solution for Norfolk County, providing water security to residents and businesses in the context of imminent climate change and growth pressures under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Ontario has a comprehensive drinking water protection framework from source to tap. Since reporting began in 2004, more than 99.8% of water quality tests continue to meet Ontario’s strict health-based water quality standards.

Ontario’s Drinking Water Protection Framework

Program delivery approach

The IUWS program will be implemented over 25 years, and the projects will be delivered in five phases. The existing individual water supply systems will continue to be operated and upgraded for short-term demand. Norfolk County will continue to provide safe drinking water services to seven urban centres: Simcoe, Port Dover, Port Rowan, St. Williams, Delhi, Courtland, and Waterford.

Commissioning and start-up of the newly built systems will occur at the end of each Phase.

The decommissioning of existing water treatment plants and groundwater wells in urban areas will follow the commissioning of the new system, phase by phase, as a separate project.

Phase 1 is now underway. Start dates for Phases 2-5 are to be determined.

Phase 1: Simcoe – Implementation in Progress

Drinking water will be supplied to Simcoe through a new transmission main and a booster pumping station connected to the Townsend-Haldimand drinking water system and to the future Waterford interconnection.

A new elevated tank will be built on the northwest side of Simcoe to meet the fire protection requirements and connect to the Delhi-Courtland system. The booster pumping station will be designed to accommodate the future pumps required for Waterford and Delhi-Courtland.

A metering chamber will be built at the boundary between the two counties to monitor and record the flows consumed by Norfolk County through the Simcoe Connection.

Phase 1 – Townsend-Simcoe Water Supply System Progress

Phase 1 projects:

Project 1: Townsend-Simcoe Transmission Watermain: 90% design in progress
Project 2: Simcoe Booster Pumping Station: 90% design in progress
Project 3: New Simcoe Elevated Tank: 90% design in progress
Project 4: Nanticoke Water Treatment Plant Upgrade Phase 1: Pre-design in progress

Phase 1 updates:

July 2024

Project 4 – Nanticoke Treatment Plant upgrades pre-design complete
90% detailed design for Projects 1-3 nearing completion

April 2024

60% detailed design for Projects 1-3 complete

February 2024

Geotechnical investigations for Phase 1 Townsend-Simcoe completed
Hydraulic modelling and transient analysis report updated for 2051 requirements and complete
Design progressed to the 60% stage based on confirmed hydraulic conditions

January 2024

Phase 1 Nanticoke Water Treatment Plant Upgrade project was awarded and kicked off

December 2023

Phase 1 Townsend-Simcoe System design was reviewed and updated to ensure that the planned water demand projections to 2051 in terms of hydraulic capacity, fire protection and pressure requirements.

May 2023

Class Environmental Assessment filed with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks and process complete. Read more on EngageNorfolk.

April 2023

Notice of completion: This Study was conducted following the requirements for Schedule ‘B’ projects within the Municipal Class EA document (as amended in 2015) under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. Read more on EngageNorfolk.

November 2022

The Second Public Information Centre was held on November 8, 2022, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Watch the session recording and read more.

August 2022

Public Information Centre (PIC) held to present background information on the study. Watch the session and read the documents shared.

July 2022

Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) was initiated to implement an approximately 20 km transmission water main connecting Simcoe to the Townsend Water Supply System to secure water supply from the Nanticoke Water Treatment Plant, including a new elevated water tank and booster station. These improvements are required to meet long-term (2041) Inter-Urban Water Supply capacity and quality demands within the County. Read more.

May 2022

Engineering for Phase 1 – Townsend-Simcoe Interconnection started.
Class Environmental Assessment Schedule B and Preliminary Design commenced.

Phase 2: Nanticoke-Port-Dover-Simcoe

Drinking water will be supplied to Port-Dover from the Nanticoke Water Treatment Plant through a second connection located on St. John Rd. A new elevated tank will be built on the northwest side of Port Dover to ensure fire protection flow and standard pressure.

An interconnection between Port Dover and Simcoe drinking water systems for emergency backup capacity is needed interchangeably during peak demand and scheduled regulatory maintenance activities such as water main flushing and elevated tank cleanup.

Phase 3a: Townsend-Waterford-Simcoe

A new transmission main will supply drinking water from the Simcoe connection to a new elevated tank. This new storage will address the pressure standard and fire protection requirements.

A connection chamber will be built in Phase 1 on the Townsend-Simcoe transmission main, and pumping capacity will be added to the booster pumping station.

Phase 3b Townsend-Simcoe-Delhi-Courtland

The existing Delhi-Courtland system will be connected to the new Simcoe elevated tank through a new transmission main. A new elevated tank will be built in Delhi to meet the fire protection requirements and pressure standards.

Delhi-Courtland and Simcoe systems will operate in both directions, allowing for backup capacity during peak demand, emergency situations and scheduled maintenance. The water supply in Courtland will be improved in terms of pressure and fire protection.

Phase 4: Port-Dover – Simcoe- St. Williams-Port Rowan

Drinking water will be supplied to St. Williams and Port Rowan through a new transmission main as the Port Rowan water treatment plant reaches its end of service life. A new elevated tank will be built to ensure fire protection and standard pressure for both communities.

Phase 5: Port Rowan-Courtland

A new transmission main will connect the Port Rowan and Courtland water supply systems. The need for a booster pumping station and/or an elevated tank will be confirmed during project definition. After this interconnection is built, all allowing for emergency backup and fire protection.